Sherron Mills, former VCU basketball standout, dies at 44
Former Virginia Commonwealth University basketball star Sherron Mills died Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016, of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Mr. Mills was 44 and lived in Baltimore.
Personality: Amber J. Adams
Spotlight on president of Richmond Metropolitan Chapter of NABA
In 1969, only 136 of the nation’s 100,000 certified public accountants were African-American. In response to that dismal lack of representation, nine African-American accountants met in New York to discuss the quandary faced in their profession. They formed the National Association of Black Accountants to address the concerns of minorities entering the accounting profession and to make a commitment to professional and academic excellence. They chose a theme/motto for the nonprofit organization: “Lifting As We Climb.”
TIME features photo by Regina H. Boone
Award-winning photographer Regina H. Boone has pricked the nation’s conscience with her poignant photograph of a rash-covered child affected by the lead-contaminated water in Flint, Mich. The former Richmond Free Press photographer’s image of 2-year-old Sincere Smith is featured on the cover of the Feb. 1 edition of TIME magazine.
‘Let Freedom Ring’ initiative aimed at healing America
Descendants of Thomas Jefferson, the nation’s third president, and Sally Hemings, the African-American woman he enslaved and fathered six children with, are scheduled to gather at historic First Baptist Church of Williamsburg at 10 a.m. Monday, Feb. 1.
Heating woes continue to plague Creighton Court residents
Tina Marie Smith finally has a working radiator on the first floor of her Creighton Court apartment. The only problem: It doesn’t produce much heat. And it hasn’t, she said, since maintenance workers from the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority installed it three weeks ago.
GOP-controlled General Assembly bucks McAuliffe’s choice in court drama
The fate of Virginia Supreme Court Justice Jane Marum Roush is expected to be determined this week, with expectations that she will once again fail to win General Assembly election to remain on the state’s highest court. In the latest twist in this continuing drama surrounding a judicial appointment, the House of Delegates is to vote Thursday, Jan. 28, on whether Justice Roush is to receive a 12-year appointment on the state Supreme Court or be forced to step down by mid-February.
Bus Rapid Transit would cost $3.6M annually to operate
GRTC would need a larger city subsidy to keep the proposed Bus Rapid Transit service called Pulse in operation, but perhaps not as big as some critics have suggested, according to the company. In a report released Sunday, Greater Richmond Transit Co. estimates that Richmond taxpayers would need to provide between $345,000 to $775,000 a year to cover the city’s share of BRT operations. The actual amount depends on whether BRT is a hit with commuters and attracts additional daily riders.
Paydazed in RVA
High-fee payday loan traps Henrico man
Running short of money to pay bills, Donald Garrett did what many people do — he turned to a payday lender. He borrowed $100 from a small loan company called Advance ‘Til Payday on Nine Mile Road near his Henrico County apartment in order to catch up. Four months later, he had wracked up $320 in fees and still was unable to pay off the original $100. Until a friend stepped in and paid off his debt, he faced paying $80 each month. To pay the loan off, $100 had to be added to the $80 payment.
Violent crime in city down in 2015
Mayor Dwight C. Jones and Police Chief Alfred Durham trumpeted a major decrease in violent crimes committed in the city during 2015 at a news conference last Friday. But the grim reality of crime’s impact on the community was illustrated when Charlene Boone stepped to the podium during the officials’ announcement last Friday at the Richmond Police Training Academy.
Congressional district change may cost city $60,000-plus
Call it an unexpected expense. Richmond might have to cough up between $60,000 and $80,000 to notify city voters that they have been moved from the 3rd Congressional District to the 4th Congressional District.
Repaved areas of Chamberlayne Ave. uncover more defects
A repaved stretch of Chamberlayne Avenue already is falling apart, less than a year after being repaved for the world bike races held in Richmond last September. The problem pavement also undermines Mayor Dwight C. Jones’ claim that such paving for the races would last up to 10 years.
Federal appeals court upholds $2M award
Thousands of women who suffered injuries from a transvaginal mesh product that was implanted to resolve pelvic problems could benefit from a federal court decision.
Dr. Franklin issues call to action at Community Leaders Breakfast
The state’s No. 1 cheerleader, Gov. Terry McAuliffe, drew enthusiastic applause as he delivered impassioned remarks and extolled a bipartisan approach to solving the state’s problems at the 38th Annual Community Leaders Breakfast last Friday honoring the life and legacy of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Seniors wage fight against TV cable
I live in a high-rise building along with 200 senior tenants. We are forced to deal with Comcast and the cable company’s high prices.
Presidential candidates profess to love the Lord but ignore message
Re editorial “Fat Cat Tuesday,” Jan. 7-9 edition: Too many people who profess to love the Lord show by their actions that their true love is money when the CEO of Walmart has a salary 1,034 times that of the median employee salary. He is someone who doesn’t mind losing his soul so long as he can gain the whole world.
Is it really about the tree?
Several years ago, I was in Seattle and visited the African-American museum there. They had a display on Maggie L. Walker, and as a Richmonder, I was the proudest person in the museum.
The white man’s rage
Have you heard? Apparently large numbers of American adults are “angry” about their own circumstances and about where they think the country is headed. For months, numerous politicians, pollsters and pundits have touted this anger as an important factor in the line-up of who’s supporting who in both the Republican and Democratic presidential primary campaigns.
Flint: A lesson in callousness
Flint, Mich., is impoverished. The auto plants have closed. Forty percent of the city’s 100,000 residents live below the poverty level. It is majority minority. It has been in fiscal crisis since 2011, with the state taking over budgetary control and a state-appointed “emergency manager” driving policy focused on cutting spending.
Apology please
We are waiting for all the haters out there to apologize to President Obama. The “birthers,” as they have been dubbed, made such a clamor in challenging where President Obama was born and whether he legally was able to hold the office of president of the United States.
Primary vote
Like bad pennies, Sarah Palin and Bill Clinton have turned up again. This time, both are back on the campaign trail.
